COVID-19

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Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin Has COVID
Defense Secretary Has COVID

Defense Secretary Has COVID

He's experiencing mild symptoms, he says

(Newser) - Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Sunday he has tested positive for COVID-19 and was experiencing mild symptoms while quarantining at home, the AP reports. In a statement Sunday night, Austin said he plans to attend key meetings and discussions virtually in the coming week “to the degree possible.”...

NYC Gears Up for 'Responsible Event for the World to See'

Only 15K in-person spectators, masked and vaccinated, will be allowed at NYE in Times Square

(Newser) - New York City readied on Friday to embrace the new year—and bid good riddance to another pandemic-marred 12 months—as it prepared to revive its annual New Year's Eve celebration in Times Square. It did so as an uneasy nation tried to muster optimism that the worst days...

In Locked-Down City of 13M, People Running Out of Food

Lockdown rules bar people from leaving the home to grocery shop

(Newser) - The Chinese city of Xi'an has been locked down since Dec. 22 , and this lockdown is more extreme than most. In a quest to maintain China's "zero COVID policy," the New York Times reports workers have been tasked with spraying disinfectant throughout the city, and Xi'...

South Africa: Omicron 'Flash Flood' Has Passed

Johns Hopkins University says US reported 647K cases Thursday

(Newser) - The omicron variant is pushing COVID case numbers to record levels in numerous countries—including the US, which reported a staggering 647,076 cases Thursday, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker. But in South Africa, one of the countries to first detect the variant, scientists believe the worst is...

Days After 10K Broke Record, Australia Has 32K New Cases

PM says country is stronger despite lockdowns, fires, floods, mouse plagues

(Newser) - New coronavirus infections soared again in Australia on Friday to a record of more than 32,000, just days after surpassing 10,000 for the first time. Experts say the explosion is being driven by the highly contagious omicron variant and a recent relaxation of restrictions in Sydney and other...

Movie Theaters Stay Open in France, but Hold the Popcorn

Snack, drink ban at venues takes effect Monday

(Newser) - No more munching, crunching and slurping at the movies in France: The country's increasingly fraught fight against an unprecedented surge in coronavirus infections is putting a stop to eating and drinking at French cinemas, just as they show signs of recovering from the brutal economic bashing of lockdowns last...

Just Don't Take a Cruise, CDC Advises

Warning applies regardless of the traveler's vaccination status

(Newser) - In response to a series of onboard outbreaks , the CDC on Thursday advised all Americans—vaccinated or not—to stay off cruise ships. The agency cited a rise in coronavirus infections and the quick-spreading omicron variant, per NBC News . COVID-19 "spreads easily between people in close quarters on board...

The Many Problems With COVID Testing
Do Daily Case Counts
Even Matter Anymore?
the rundown

Do Daily Case Counts Even Matter Anymore?

Millions of rapid tests might be going unreported every day, raising questions of accuracy

(Newser) - Omicron has led to a record number of new daily cases in the US—north of 265,000—but is the number even relevant anymore? That's the question raised by a New York Times story, one of many exploring the current problems with testing and case counts:
  • Key question:
...

Woman Spends 4 Hours in Plane Bathroom After Testing Positive

She took rapid test after getting sore throat on Icelandair flight

(Newser) - A Chicago woman ended up in the Mile High Quarantine Club after she tested positive for COVID-19 on a flight between Newark. NJ, and Iceland. Marisa Fotieo told the Today show Wednesday that she went to the bathroom and took a rapid test when her throat started to hurt during...

After Forfeited Games, Int'l. Hockey Tourney Ends Early

Remainder of world juniors in Canada has been called off amid fears of a COVID outbreak

(Newser) - Update: The remainder of the world junior hockey championship in Canada has been canceled over fears of a COVID-19 outbreak. The International Ice Hockey Federation made the announcement Wednesday on the recommendation of medical officials, per the AP . Citing the spread of the omicron variant, the IIHF canceled the rest...

British DJ 'Devastated' for Bringing Omicron to NZ

Nation's health officials say Robert Etheridge left required self-isolation before getting test result

(Newser) - New Zealand health officials are reeling after a British DJ set to play a New Year's Eve music fest left his required self-isolation before getting the results of a final COVID test back. He subsequently tested positive for omicron, the country's first community case of the variant. The...

New COVID Cases in US Hit Record High

Fauci suggests scaling back NYE celebrations

(Newser) - More than a year after vaccines were rolled out, new cases of COVID-19 in the US have soared to their highest level on record at over 265,000 per day on average, a surge driven largely by the highly contagious omicron variant. New cases per day have more than doubled...

Indicators Agree: Omicron Is Milder, Fauci Says

Infections are rising much faster than hospitalizations in the US

(Newser) - Early data from the US and abroad make two things clear about the omicron variant of the coronavirus. "We know now, incontrovertibly, that this is a highly, highly transmissible virus," Dr. Anthony Fauci said Wednesday. And "all indications point to a lesser severity of omicron versus delta....

One NBA Legend Schools Another on COVID Meme

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar says LeBron James' Spider-Man post was 'blow to his worthy legacy'

(Newser) - LeBron James asked for advice on COVID, and he got it—though he may not have liked the answer he received from a fellow basketball great. The hubbub started on Christmas Eve, when the 36-year-old Los Angeles Lakers forward posted a cartoon on Instagram that showed a variation on the...

With New Variant Comes Potential New Testing Issue

FDA warns that rapid antigen tests may not pick up on omicron that well

(Newser) - Not all news regarding the latest COVID-19 variant is gloomy, with very early signs pointing to less severe illness overall—meaning fewer hospitalizations and deaths—with omicron. When it comes to testing, however, the latest development doesn't bode well, per a warning issued by the Food and Drug Administration...

In the Long Term, Rise of Omicron Could Be a Good Thing

And more on the surging COVID-19 variant

(Newser) - Omicron woes seem to have taken over the country, with flights being canceled left and right , the sports and showbiz worlds continuing to be impacted, and the US on Tuesday hitting a record high seven-day average of 254,496 new cases per day. A CNN medical analyst speculates that number...

California Is First State to Top 5M COVID Cases

But new cases are only a third of the national rate

(Newser) - California is the first state to record more than 5 million known coronavirus infections, according to the state dashboard Tuesday, which was delayed by the holiday weekend. The grim milestone, as reported by the California Department of Public Health, wasn’t entirely unexpected in a state with 40 million residents...

Judge Pushes Maxwell Jurors on COVID's 'Astronomical Spike'

Court wants to wrap up before anybody needs to quarantine

(Newser) - Judge Alison Nathan has been urging the jury in Ghislaine Maxwell's sex trafficking trial to put in more time, suggesting adding a day of deliberations last week and longer hours this week. On Tuesday, she explained that the reason is COVID, Fox News reports. "We now face a...

Delta Flight to China Turns Back
Delta Flight to China Turns Back

Delta Flight to China Turns Back

Airline blames new COVID cleaning rules at Shanghai airport

(Newser) - With coronavirus cases climbing and the Winter Olympics in Beijing nearing, China is rigorously following its zero COVID policies. Delta Air Lines has blamed one of the strategies at the Shanghai airport after a flight from Seattle turned around, midair, last week, rather than continue on to China, CNN reports....

CDC Cuts Recommended COVID Isolation Time

Agency now recommends 5 days

(Newser) - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention made a big change to COVID isolation and quarantine recommendations Monday. With omicron cases surging and staff shortages causing major disruptions to travel, the CDC has halved the recommended isolation time for people who have tested positive from 10 days to five days...

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